Inception
2010 • Rated PG-13
Directed by Christopher Nolan

“Avatar was one man’s film pushing his vision of the world using amazing technology. Inception is a film exploring the human mind, guilt, regret, forgiveness and the power of beliefs through imagination and creativity. With Avatar I felt preached at; with Inception I felt invited to explore my core beliefs, how guilt drives my behavior and my perception of reality.”

That’s what I wrote on my Facebook status immediately after seeing Christopher Nolan’s latest film—one that I will see again soon. It’s a film that combines the reality twisting ideas of The Matrix with the the psychological journey of What Dreams May Come and expects the audience to trust the filmmaker in much the same manner as did LOST. As one reviewer described it, “It is a fascinating visual feast, The Matrix with heart and soul, a rollercoaster ride into layers of the subconscious mind that challenges our ability to keep up.”

I love films that make me think, but Nolan does more than that; he invites the thoughtful moviegoer to consider what lies at the core of their behavior.

Leonardo Dicaprio plays Cobb, an accomplished thief who practices “extraction”, the art of entering someone’s dreams while they are asleep and stealing their secrets. Theatrically this is done in much the same way that those in The Matrix entered the manufactured world of the computers; by “plugging in” to a machine. While there Cobb negotiates the world of the dream, interacts with the dreamer and convinces them to share their secrets. His team members, which include actors Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (becoming one of my favorite actors) and Ellen Page, use their various skills to create and manipulate the world of the dream. Watch the following clip in which Cobb recruits Ariadne to be his new “architect” of the dream world:

This scene combines several elements that make this film fascinating: it is pushing you to think, to follow the “dream logic” that Cobb is teaching to his student, while being visually stunning. If it did only this it would be an entertaining film but it goes far beyond that.

Though the purpose of entering dreams is simple—stealing secrets—the process is anything but and it get’s complicated when the subconscious of the thieves can disrupt the world of the dreamer. In other words, when Cobb enters another person’s dream he brings with him his own subconscious which, we find out, is in serious need of some therapy. I believe Nolan is dramatizing how our deepest secrets, fears and beliefs affect our every action, thought and motive. For Cobb this means that unless some resolution comes to his own secrets he could endanger the lives of every one he works with.

In fact, his apprentice Ariadne suggests several times throughout the movie that Cobb needs to tell his colleagues about these unresolved issues because their presence in the dreams pose a threat to the safety of the entire team—much like a friend might say to another, “you really need to talk to a professional about this, it’s messing up your whole life.”

As a therapist of course I love this stuff. I also believe that it is a thoroughly Christian way to think about the world. What we believe about ourselves, our identity and how we survive in the world, not to mention what we believe about God, shapes how we work, play and relate to others. And this is where “inception” comes in. If “extraction” is the taking of someone’s secrets, “inception” is the planting of an idea into the subconscious of another in hopes of changing the course of their lives.

What does this have to do with us? The ideas that drive us are not only unresolved issues like guilt and regret but also core beliefs about who we are. Think about it like this; if a young girl, through her relationships and experiences, develops the core belief that “I must be perfect” while living in a culture that tells you perfection is attained through self-control and a firm body, suddenly “I must be perfect” morphs into “I must be skinny” and you have the beginning of an eating disorder.

But it is not just anorexics who have core beliefs; we all do. And, as Richard Rohr writes, “there is nothing on which people are so fixated on as their self-image. We are literally prepared to go through hell just so we don’t have to give it up. It determines most of what we do or don’t do, say or don’t say, what we occupy ourselves with and what we don’t.” He continues, “My pattern [of thinking and protecting my core beliefs] sticks in my limbs, in my bones, it’s in my blood, it’s in my skin, my breath, my way of thinking…¹” In other words, you can’t escape it. It is everywhere, even in your dreams.

The Christian view of the world suggests that a core belief of “I am loved, acceptable and given a purpose through relationship with God” will set you free, allowing you to live a life of strength and hope. Part of what I do as a therapist is to partner with God in bringing this to bear on people’s lives. I’m in the business of inception.

Inception is a film that works on many levels. It is a suspense-filled, visually stunning heist movie, an exploration of the subconscious and a dramatization of how guilt, regret and unresolved grief can run a freight train (literally) through your life. And, if you are willing to work for it, it is a film worth seeing.

Travis Stewart is the founder of viaRenovo and therapist at a treatment center for eating disorders. He received both a Master’s of Counseling and a Master’s of Theology from Covenant Seminary. He lives with his wife (a professional organizer) and two kids outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

^{1 Richard Rohr, The Enneagram; A Christian Perspective}

Watch the trailer here: